What Are Wet Dreams?

I sometimes wake up with a wet, sticky spot on my underwear or pajama pants. It's not urine, so what is it?- Stewart*

Chances are that you had a "wet dream" — something that can be embarrassing and confusing, but is completely normal. A wet dream is also known as a nocturnal emission. Nocturnal means "at night" and emission means "discharge." This makes sense because a wet dream is when semen (the fluid containing sperm) is discharged from the penis during ejaculation while a guy's asleep. Usually this happens during dreams that have sexual images. Sometimes guys wake up from a wet dream, but sometimes they sleep through it.

Wet dreams begin during puberty when the body starts making more testosterone, the major male hormone. Although some guys may feel embarrassed or even guilty about having wet dreams, they can't be controlled and you can't stop them from happening — most guys experience them at some point during puberty and even sometimes as adults. Wet dreams usually happen less as guys get older, though.

Male Reproductive System What makes up a guy's reproductive system and how does it develop? Can anything go wrong? Find the answers to these questions and more in this article.

Is It Normal to Get Erections? If you've ever had an erection in an embarrassing situation, you've probably asked yourself this question. But erections are a perfectly normal function of the male body, especially in guys who are going through puberty.

Is My Penis Normal? Just about every guy wonders about the size of his penis at one time or another.

Akron Children's Hospital is one of the largest pediatric hospitals in the U.S., and ranked among the best children's hospitals by U.S. News and World Report.
Our dedicated staff handles nearly 800,000 patient visits each year through our 2 hospital campuses and a large network of locations offering primary and specialty care.
We're leading the way to healthier futures for children and communities through expert medical care, research, and prevention and wellness programs.
As a teaching affiliate of Northeast Ohio Medical University and other universities,
we train new generations of pediatricians, specialists and nurses every year.
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Akron Children's provides primary, critical and specialized care to the patients who come to us, as well as those our Home Care Group treats at home. We help families focus on their sick children with a support staff to deal with the practical details of a hospital stay. Beyond our walls, we help children reach their full potential with more than 100 advocacy, outreach and education programs.
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From Beachwood to Dover, Norwalk to western Pennsylvania, and just about everywhere in between, Akron Children's growing healthcare system has a full range of pediatric specialists, primary care providers, hospitals and regional care centers right in your own community or within easy driving distance.
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The Rebecca D. Considine Research Institute is the hub for research and innovation activity at Akron Children's Hospital. The institute facilitates sponsored clinical studies as well as internal investigator-initiated research programs across a spectrum of research subjects. The institute also offers research-oriented educational opportunities for fellows, students and faculty from around the globe.

Ranked a Best Children's Hospital, Akron Children's is the largest pediatric healthcare provider in northeast Ohio. Whether a child needs a few stitches or treatment for a serious illness, we offer the highest quality of care, using the latest techniques and technology, as well as a caring touch. Our philosophy of child- and family-centered care guides everything we do.
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